Edgar Allan Poe

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Edgar Allan Poe Trivia

Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge

Because he had such a contentious relationship with his foster father John Allan, Poe hardly ever used his middle name. He always published as "Edgar A. Poe"—unless, of course, he made up a new name altogether.16

By 1843, Poe was so broke that he found himself down to his last $4.50 and spent time stopping people on the street to ask for money for food.17

In 2000, New York University announced plans to demolish the home where Edgar Allan Poe lived from 1841 to 1844 in order to make room for its law school. Outraged preservationists and Poe fans took to the streets in protest, leading to a compromise in which NYU promised to use the bricks from the original façade in the new building.18

Every year since 1949, an anonymous fan known as the "Poe Toaster" has visited Poe's grave on the night of his birthday and has left a partially filled bottle of cognac and three roses.19

The Baltimore Ravens football team is named after Poe's poem The Raven, which he wrote in Baltimore.20

After losing a Super Bowl bet when the Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants in 2001, New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton joined Maryland Senators Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes for a reading of The Raven.21

As a student at West Point, Poe used to tell fellow cadets that his grandfather was the infamous traitor Benedict Arnold. Great story, not true.22